This concert is part of the Jazz Institute of Chicago's Jazz Club Tour 2016

Hard hitting conguero Johnny Blas has performed and recorded in the world of Jazz and Latin music for over 25 years. Charismatic and intense, Johnny is a seasoned performer whose musicality extends as a percussionist, saxophonist, composer and bandleader.

Johnny and his band put on a fierce show with swing, energy and heat that can melt asphalt. Blas, a New York native influenced by the music of Mongo Santamaria, Ray Barretto, Armando Peraza, Dizzie Gillespie, Charlie Parker and David Sandborn, exhibits a sound that is stylish and funky, an infusion of Latin Funk and Jazz with an Afro-Caribbean groove.

As a conguero, Johnny's performances are passionate and fierce; his dynamic ability is displayed in both flashy solos as well as in more restrained interior lines. Johnny Blas, an innovative performer, bandleader and composer showcases many of his own original arrangements on five Latin Jazz CD recordings under the famed CuBop label and has earned critical praise in the Latin and Jazz music press.

http://www.johnnyblas.com/